More than 25 years after he first journeyed to the the Alamo, Pee-wee Herman returned to the San Antonio, Texas landmark to serve as a guest judge on Top Chef: Texas Wednesday.
The character, played by Paul Reubens, 59, went on a quest to find his stolen red bike in the 1985 film Pee-wee's Big Adventure. Reubens made his entrance on the Bravo show riding his signature red Schwinn bike.
For their first challenge, the aspiring chefs were asked to make Reubens pancakes. "I love pancakes, but I'm not gonna marry them!" Reubens (in character) told the contestants.
Judge Gail Simmons blogged about the experience for Entertainment Weekly, writing: "We were with [Reubens] for two days and it was really exciting. He was really one of my favorite guest judges ever. He just brought so much joy and nostalgia and fun to the set."
After making Reubens pancakes, the contestants were presented with a new challenge: get on a bike with $100 and a knife kit in their pockets, find food (and a restaurant to cook it in!) and deliver the judges a lunch within two hours.
"It seemed kind of insane, but they all did it and that's what so incredible when you're at this stage in the game," Simmons explained.
Lindsay — who created her dish in the shape of a boat — won the challenge, while Grayson's butternut squash and tomato dish sent her home.
